“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

My senior yearbook came today. It was so much fun to page through and see all the familiar faces, and relive some of highlights, but it felt different. I felt so detached. I know I’m not the same person that graduate back in May–I’ve lived too much life since then to be the same. But it made me think about all the things I wanted to do six months ago. So here, in no particular order, are fifteen dreams from the Carpe Diem list I started about the same time that I graduated. Some are just crazy, while others are more doable. But maybe, just maybe, I’ll feel a little bit more attached to that crazy chica who did so many things in high school and who wore a drum major’s hat with such aplomb. Besides, it’s fun to dream. That’s why so many people are dreamers, and that’s why there are so many dreams.

Ride in a hot air balloon.

Visit all fifty states

Hold a sea otter

Go spelunking

Learn to speak Italian

Visit Monet’s Garden in Giverny

Become a citizen of Monaco

Read a comic book without seeing the movie first

Try escargot

Tour Pixar Animation Studios

Travel to the Olympics as a spectator

Be able to put my foot behind my head

Teach at my high school

Visit the five smallest countries in Europe

Knit a sweater

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams–live the life you’ve imagined.” –Henry David Thoreau